The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-04-10
SECONDARY CASES

may be followed by secondary glau-
coma" When left to itself. every form
of glaucoma inevitably terminates in
total blindness. Hence the importance Of
detecting and treating it as early as
possible. Internally, the drugs eserine
(from Calabar bean) and pilocarpine
I(from Jaborand) have the power OF
temporarily, sometimes permanently
reducing the tension and hardness OF
the eyeball. But in the vast majority
of cases surgery offers the only sure
means Of relief. No one can tell why,
, but cutting out piece OF the IT'S
G iridectomy'') stops the disease where
it is and cures. In order not to dis
| figure the individual, Or, rather, to
make the Disagreement as little notice
able as possible, the part OF the iris
above the pupil is removed. An
incision is made through the upper edge
Of the cornea, as if for cataract operation.
d part of the iris is drawn through and
clipped off with scissors. The after
treat ment is by simple dressings, Light
handages and rest in bed for few days.
n acute giaucoma this operation is
often brilliantly successful. 1t Is less SO
in chronic. simple glaucona. In the
nemorrhagic variety it should not be
| attempted.
In the last-named from another
| operation, 'sClerotomy," may be used
Eserine is used freely before the opera
| ton 10 firmly contract the pupil. then
n incisIon is made as in iridectomy,
the aqueous humor permitted to escape
slowly, and the iris is not cut into.
EserIne is used afterwards, and the
hardness of the globe of the eye is
greatly reduced, often leading to
cure.
Diseases OF the optic nerve and its ex
pansion, the retina are frequent causes
of blindness. As these affections can
not be made out without the use of the
opthalmoscope, only the skilled oculist
can estimate their gravity and nature
"Amaurosis" is. the old term for all
such varieties OF loss of sight. 1t is now
pretty much abandoned in professional
literature, and more definite names
given to the changes in the nervous
apparatus resulting in loss OF sight.
II obacco amaurosis" is almost the
only variety in which this word is re-
tanned.
SMOKERS BLINDNESS.
Smokers of strong tobacco, that is o
of the leaf that contain large
quantities OF nicotine, are the most |
frequent sufferers from this form of
It is generally incomplete.
There is first haziness or mistineSs of
vision, which gradually increases.
The room or street seems as ii h4ed
with smoke. Glasses of all kinds are
tried, but do not aid vision. There is
40 pain or inflammatory symptoms.
If smoking 1.-THE weed" is persisted in.
vision continues to fail until reading or
clear vision of anything is entirely gone.
The opthalmoscope shows only that
The treatment is: First, and most i'm
oortant, total abstinence from tobacco
% any shape. Gradual withdrawal of
the poison will not do at all. The only
drug of any value is strychnine. This
must be given in gradually increasing
doses until the physiological effects of
the drug are manifested. This, of
course, should never be undertaken
except under the watchful eye of com
petent physician. If the patient is
foolish enough to resume the use of
tobacco, he is very sure to experience
relapse of his 'amaurosis," treatment
of which is likely to prove Intellectual.
The strong American tobaccoes are
than those grown in the East or West
Indies.
AS before stated, little artery comes
to the retina in the substance of the
optic nerve. Upon this the retina has
to depend exclusively for its supply of
blood. Sometimes 1t happens that a
small clot of blood OF bit of fibrine col
lects somewhere, generally upon one
Of the valves of the heart, becomes
detached, floats alope in the blood cur
rent and reaches this central artery of
the retina. This is very small, and the
clog or bit of fibrine closes it completely
shutting off all supplies from the retina.
This causes complete and sudden blind
ness of an Incurable nature. The pro-
cess of closure of the artery just des-
cribed is termed "retinal embolism." 1t
is most common during or after an
attack of acute rheumatism, which so /,
often roughens the valve of the heart.
BRIGHT's DISEASE.
The branches of this same artery may
give way, permitting hemorrhage to
take place into the substance of the
retina. This bleeding is frequently
small in amount, and may be absorbed,
leaving the eye in a fairly good con-
dition. Or it may be larger or be fire.
quently repeated, when total blindness
may result. In ,nalarial diseases there
is always pro du 3tion of large amounts
of free ctl9ring material (pigment)
from the destruction of red blood cor
puscies that goes on in such affections.
This is deposited in the liver, spleen,
surface of the brain ard sometimes in
the retina. The desposit of such ma
terial at this point interferes with sight
and may cause permanent blindness.
It is often, however, of transitory dura-
ton. The treatment OF pigment de
posts IN the retina is by quinine fol-
owed by persistent use of arsenic.
The outlook for such case is by no )
means entirely hopeless.
In Bright's disease of the kidneys !
sometimes the first notice the patient
'eceives OF his true condition is from :
ihe oculist he consults for failure OF his
dght. The, so-caned "aIbumenuric1
'etinitis" is an Inflammation of the
,etina, caused, IN some way not yet IN +
ierstood, by the failure of the kidneys
% perform their proper functions. The
'nly treatment for such case is by
emedieS addressed to the original con-
lltIon, and these are few and generally
esult II little good.
When tumors occur in the Uranium,
he hroYrl T..